This invention relates to positioning toilet seats for being accessed and for being departed from by disabled people.
There are known devices for positioning toilet seats for disabled and aged people to help them get on and off of toilets, but none with the convenience of use and adaptability to different types of toilet seats and to use of bedside commodes also in a manner taught by this invention.
Examples of most-closely related known but different devices are described in the following patent documents:
Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide a toilet-seat positioner which:
can be used to raise and lower a rear of a front-hinged toilet seat controllably with a person on the toilet seat either above a toilet or above a bedside commode contained on the toilet-seat positioner;
can be made to operate with stored air pressure; and
can include hand rails and other hand-assist items.
This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a toilet-seat positioner having a base frame with a first-side rod, a second-side rod and a frame-front rod. The first-side rod is made to be placed beside a first side of a toilet bowl. The second-side rod is made to be placed beside a second side of the toilet bowl. The first-side rod and the second-side rod are attached to the frame-front rod for bracketing the toilet bowl. In the absence of a toilet bowl between the first-side rod and the second-side rod, the base frame can support a portable defecation container which can include a bedside commode. A first pneumatic cylinder has a bottom end attached pivotally to an aft end of the first-side rod. A second pneumatic cylinder has a bottom end attached pivotally to an aft end of the second-side rod. A pneumatic pressurizer is positioned on the base frame for supplying pneumatic pressure to the first pneumatic cylinder and to the second pneumatic cylinder through pneumatic conveyances in response to a tank-outlet valve. A top end of the first pneumatic cylinder and a top end of the second pneumatic cylinder are attachable pivotally to an aft portion of a toilet seat that is front-hinged to a toilet or that is front-hinged to a toilet-seat frame.